SB Nation - Travis Daniels

Three Chiefs Remain Out at Thursday Practice

Joel Thorman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:58:05 -0000

The Kansas City Chiefs listed four players as out on the Wednesday injury report. Today, it looks like at least one of those players will be upgraded.

LB David Herron, who was out all of last week, returned from a knee injury to at least partially participate in practice.

Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com also reports that CB Travis Daniels has been seeing time at nickelback over CB Mike Richardson. This could mean Daniels gets more time on Sunday.

Other Chiefs missing practice include:

LB Mike Vrabel - He's still recovering from a knee injury suffered in last Sunday's win over the Raiders. He came out in the middle of the third quarter and did not return.

Andy Studebaker took first team reps in his place.

G/C Andy Alleman - No word yet on what Alleman's injury is but he was out yesterday as well. Wade Smith has been taking reps in his place. With G Mike Goff headed to injured reserve last week, this is becoming a thin position.

RB Dantrell Savage - He's got an ankle problem and it doesn't bode well if FB Tim Castille was signed and the head coach referenced Savage's injury as a reason for Castille's signing.

As of now it doesn't look good for Savage on Sunday but we'll take a wait and see approach.

Morgan, Not Daniels, Lines up at Free Safety for the Chiefs in Practice

Joel Thorman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:57:52 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

Chiefs S Jon McGraw has been injured and is causing a roster shuffle. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

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The Kansas City Chiefs took the practice field today in preparation for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com has a practice report up and, somewhat surprisingly, DaJuan Morgan lined up at free safety.

The position has been an area of concern since news broke this morning that Jarrad Page was being placed on IR, ending his season, and Jon McGraw has been (and continues to be) out with a leg injury.

Travis Daniels, signed this morning by the team, was working with the cornerbacks.

Looney also tells us that Mike Richardson was missing from practice, which is perhaps the reason Daniels was filling in there, instead of at free safety. Daniels has a little experience at safety and is familiar with the Chiefs scheme so many of us thought he was signed for short-term safety help.

No word on Richardson at this point. He had been playing the nickel since being signed a couple weeks ago.

If Daniels was signed to supplement the Chiefs at safety then they're getting off to a slow start. Or Richardson's absence signals the arrival of another player.

As always with this Chiefs roster, stay tuned.

Jarrad Page to IR; Chiefs Sign Travis Daniels, Again

Joel Thorman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:36:30 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

4 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Travis Daniels (23) takes a break during NFL football training camp in River Falls, Wis., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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The speculation was correct this time regarding Kansas City Chiefs safety Jarrad Page. The fourth year safety has been placed on injured reserve ending his season. Page had struggled with a shoulder injury earlier in the season but reportedly suffered another injury, this time to his calf, last Thursday.

Tough break for Page. He was signed to a one year tender prior to the season, and with Jon McGraw taking his spot last game despite Page being healthy enough to play, you have to wonder if we've seen the last of Page as a Chief.

Taking Page's place on the active roster is CB Travis Daniels. Name sound familiar? It should.

Daniels spent the offseason with the Chiefs before being released on the final cutdown day in early September.

Daniels kind of has a distant Pioli/Haley/Parcells connection. He played under Romeo Crennel when the Browns traded a 7th round pick for him. He also played under Nick Saban at LSU. Saban coached under Belichick while in Cleveland.

He's got a minor injury history, missing all of preseason and the first four games of the 2008 season. He's appeared in 47 games, with 25 starts, accumulating three interceptions, 93 tackles and 20 passes defensed.

Yesterday, Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com reported that Maurice Leggett was getting some time at free safety in practice possibly setting him up to be the emergency in the instance McGraw doesn't fully recover from his strained leg.

With Chris Chambers, that makes two new Chiefs at practice today.

Lions Re-Sign Chuck Darby, Release Marcus McCauley, and Shake Up Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:25:22 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

5 months ago: Detroit Lions defensive tackle Chuck Darby reaches for a football during the NFL team's minicamp Tuesday, June 23, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Lions no longer hold the top waiver priority in the league, so they have to start doing their homework to get a list of possible players that are worth signing should injuries pop up. To do that, they held a mass tryout today, bringing in a total of 11 players (including some familiar faces).

Per a league source, they were running back Aveion Cason, cornerback Travis Daniels, defensive tackle Chuck Darby, cornerback Demarcus Faggins, defensive back Isaiah Gardner, receiver Taurus Johnson, safety Stuart Schweigert, receiver Derek Stanley, running back Kenny Watson, cornerback DeAngelo Willingham, and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

The Lions ended up re-signing defensive tackle Chuck Darby and releasing cornerback Marcus McCauley. Darby was released during the final round of roster cuts, and McCauley was claimed a day later.

Tight end Carson Butler and wide receiver John Broussard, members of the practice squad, were also released. Taking their spots are wide receiver Taurus Johnson and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

Five Things to Watch for Tonight as the Chiefs Take on the Rams

Chris Thorman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:04:45 -0000

by Tom Olmscheid - AP

3 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Alex Magee, back, looses his helmet while making the tackles on Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, front, during the second quarter of a NFL preseason football game Friday, Aug. 21, 2009 in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

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Good morning AP readers! It's game day!

Yes, I'm already getting pumped up for this evening's game against the St. Louis Rams. As a heads up, the game is on at 7 PM central time. We will have the normal 4-5 posts during the game and we'll try to manage the 2000+ comments we had last game.

As a little primer for you this morning, I've got five things to watch for listed after the jump. Here's what I'm talking about:

Wide recievers to watch for
Who's playing in place of Brandon Flowers
More on the battle at right tackle
End of game execution
Missouri sports viewing habits

Enjoy and remember....GOOOOOO CHIEFS!!!

Who's the #2 WR? Or the #3? or #4?

Wide Receiver
~~D.Darling~~		T. Copper
M. Bradley		~~A. Toomer~~
B. Engram		D. Bowe
Q. Lawrence		T. Johnson
R. Wright	Slot Receiver	A. Lelie
	B. Engram
	Q. Lawrence
	R. Wright

This is of course the latest Kansas City Chiefs WR depth chart. Dwayne Bowe is of course our #1 wide out but who's next after that?

I think Ashley Lelie has made the most of his playing time out of any of these guys. Despite having only four catches for 64 yards, Lelie has stuck out in my mind as a strong candidate to be this team's #2 wide receiver when the season starts.

Bobby Engram appears to be the veteran we're holding to at the WR position. With the release of Amani Toomer on Tuesday, it makes sense that the Chiefs will keep at least one veteran WR on the team and Engram appears to be that guy.

Terrence Copper is a bit of a wildcard here because frankly I haven't read or seen much from him this preseason. He has one catch this preseason and rarely, if ever, was mentioned in our training camp reports. Still, he does sit atop the depth chart. That must account for something, right?

I think Quinten Lawrence has earned a roster spot for himself this presason. He has the second most preseason receptions behind Bowe.

If there are two odd men out, I'm choosing Taurus Johnson and Rodney Wright to get cut in this next round of roster cuts on September 6th. Neither one has been particularly strong. I know Wright has shown some flashes of training camp brilliance but I don't take that to mean much. it seems like every off season there's a guy like Wright who when the ax comes down on him in the first or second round of cuts, everyone flips out and is shocked.

Donald Washington Week 1 starter?

And for those wondering, the mystery of Brandon Flowers' shoulder injury continues. This means that someone will have to step in and take his place. Is that rookie Donald Washington?

I'm not sure. Travis Daniels and Maurice Leggett are ahead of him on the depth chart. Leggett plays a lot of nickelback but I see no reason why he doesn't step in in place of Flowers tonight at some point. Leggett is a rising star on this team and I bet he plays pretty well.

On the other hand, Washington has been running with the first team in place of Flowers this past week in practice. Sounds like Washington may get the start.

RT Battle

Damion McIntosh moved to the reserve left tackle role last week when the Chiefs signed right tackle Ikechuku Ndukwe but moved back to first team right tackle this week in practice.

Throw in Barry Richardson, who at this point is not a consideration for the starting spot, and you've got three fairly evenly matched players battling.

My prediction is entirely gut based - Ndukwe first team RT and McIntosh will back him up to start the season.

Can the Chiefs execute at the end of the game?

I know it's only the preseason but the Chiefs have had chances in all three of their preseason games to come back in the fourth quarter. Against the Texans, Vikings and Seahawks, the Chiefs had the ball late in the fourth quarter but could not put together a scoring drive.

Last season the team was absolutely terrible in the second half. We're way above that now. But still, you'd like to see some late game savvy when you can.

Will this be the most viewed TV event in MIssouri this evening?

Probably not. With Rams fans, you never know what you're going to get. I bet most people in St. Louis don't even know there is a game tonight.

I'm not even sure I'd want to go to this game. It's in a dome....in downtown St. Louis. Talk about your empty, imagination less places.

***

Let us know your thoughts on these topics in the comments.

Chiefs Training Camp Update 8/8 PM

Chris Thorman — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:41:16 -0000

View full size photo »

Updated: 5:18 PM

Family fun day is underway in River Falls, WI, at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp, as this picture from the Chiefs twitter feed shows.

There is a scrimmage today from ~2-4 PM, which we'll have notes on hopefully before the Hall of Fame induction.

No pictures up yet from yesterday's practices. Hopefully they get some up soon.

Update: We've got some tweets from Josh Looney coming. Here are a few highlights:

Ryan Succop nails a 58-yard field goal
Tyson Jackson gets his first training camp sack

We've got more updates for you, after the jump.

General Stuff

This is a somewhat of a dress rehearsal for the coaching staff as well with the first preseason game just one week away. The headsets are out and Haley’s staff is putting the press box to full use to mock a gameday atmosphere. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)

Offense

Cassel to Darling on a five-yard corner route to the back left corner or the end zone (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Cassel showing some serious scramble ability today (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Cassel did show some athleticism in the series by avoiding a heavy pass rush and scrambling seven yards to set up the field goal try. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
Thigpen to TE Jake O'Connel on a 13-yard wheel route for the first offensive TD of the day (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Cassel hit RB Jamaal Charles on a shovel for a nice gain and then took the next play into the red zone with some nice agility on a scramble. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
RB Jackie Battle then rumbled his way for a first-down to the five before Cassel connected with WR Devard Darling on a corner route in the back left of the end zone for a TD. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
The scrimmage turned situational when the ball was placed on the two-yard line for a third-and-goal situation. It took the offense two plays to score, but when they did it was a beauty as RB Jackie Battle went up and over the pile of linemen for the TD. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
QB Matt Gutierrez got his first opportunity of the afternoon and connected with TE Tom Crabtree to move the chains on third down. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
Two new groups took the field with Thigpen hitting Toomer on a 25-yard route across the middle. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
The same two groups did battle once more when the thunder started to roll across the rural Wisconsin sky. This time it was Thigpen’s legs who did some work, taking a scramble inside the five-yard line before hitting FB Jed Collins in the flats on a play-action pass. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
Croyle completed a pass to wide receiver Amani Toomer who fumbled the football after being ripped down. The ball was recovered by the defense. (UW-RF)
Thigpen then dropped back to pass but was forced from the pocket and scrambled to his right and went out of bounds for a 20-yard gain. (UW-RF)
Amani Toomer fumbled a 13 yard completion from Cassel (WPI $$$)

Defense

Defense gets its revenge with back-to-back INTs...CB Travis Daniels and CB Ricardo Colclough (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Your #1 pick DE Tyson Jackson records his first sack of training camp (Josh Looney on Twitter)
BIG HIT - DJ puts a lick on WR Amani Toomer across the middle to force a fumble!!!! (Josh Looney on Twitter)
The first-team offense opened things up with RB Larry Johnson converting a third-and-short situation near mid-field, but it was the defense who got on the board first when QB Matt Cassel mishandled a snap and DE Wallace Gilberry took the loose football 50-yards to the house. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
LB Tamba Hali eventually thwarted the drive with a sack of QB Brodie Croyle to set-up K Ryan Succop with his second FG opportunity of the day. (Josh Looney at the Mothership)
Pollard coming up with some big hits (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Continuing the trend as seen in practice thus far, cornerback Maurice Leggett spent time as the defense’s nickel back. (UW-RF)
On quarterback Brodie Croyle’s first drive, linebacker Derrick Johnson had a would-be sack had the team been allowed to sack the quarterback. (UW-RF)
Defensive end Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Tamba Hali had sacks on Croyle. (UW-RF)
On second-and-twelve, cornerback Brandon Carr nearly picked off a Thigpen pass. Carr would later have a successful quarterback pressure on Thigpen. (UW-RF)

Special Teams

Succop's 58-yarder was right down the pipe with some distance to spare (Josh Looney on Twitter)
Ryan Succop missed a 33-yard field goal. (UW-RF)
To end a drive, kicker Ryan Succop hit a 34-yard field goal. (UW-RF)

Injuries/Not Practicing

Running back Kolby Smith and guard Wade Smith were not active during practice this afternoon. (UW-RF)
Cornerback DaJuan Morgan and linebackers Mike Vrabel, Monty Beisel, Zach Thomas and Demorrio Williams were not present on the practice field this afternoon. (UW-RF)
Center Wade Smith ran off the field after the first 15 minutes of practice with what appeared to be a knee injury. He resumed practice 15 minutes later and worked on snaps with Tyler Thigpen. (Post Chronicle)
Monty Beisel didn't participate in the sprints. His right foot was causing him some pain. (Post Chronicle)
Kolby Smith and Derrick Johnson were once again working with the conditioning coach and spent most o the day carrying weights up and down the field. (Post Chronicle)
Demorrio Williams, Wade Smith, Dajaun Morgan and Glenn Dorsey were also working with conditioning, mostly working with stationary bikes and doing sit-up drills. (Post Chronicle)
G Tavares Washington did not participate after suffering an injury yesterday (WPI $$$)

VIDEO: Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson on LSU, Glenn Dorsey, Batman

Joel Thorman — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:04:30 -0000

Panini America interviewed Kansas City Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson.

Hearing his name called on draft day was "the most exciting time of my life" and it caused him to burst into tears. Here are a few other highlights from the interview:

On LSU:

Great football players and great coaches to recruit the best football players in Louisiana.

On being back with fellow LSU Tiger Glenn Dorsey:

Me and Glenn back on the same team again. Back in college we won a championship. Hopefully in the NFL we can be together for a few years and put Kansas City in a position to win a Super Bowl.

If you could see one player in any sport who would it be?

Michael Jordan. He's the greatest of all time in any sport.

If you could be one superhero who would it be?

Batman. He's a regular human being but he's got amazing powers.

Eat your heart out, Adam Best. A tidbit on another LSU player after the jump.

Former LSU cornerback Travis Daniels arrived in Kansas City this offseason. Like Jackson, he hopes to turn the Chiefs into the perennial winner the Tigers are:

"It’s a tremendous opportunity to go out there in Kansas City," Daniels said. "It reminds me of when I came to LSU. It was a program that was struggling a little bit, and soon after I got there, it was a big change."

With the four other LSU players on the team (Tyson Jackson, Glenn Dorsey, Dwayne Bowe, Rudy Niswanger), Daniels said the atmosphere in the locker room is more family.

"It doesn’t feel like I’m just part of an NFL team," he said. "It feels more like a family — more like the family atmosphere of being at LSU. I guess it doesn’t hurt that there are five of us from LSU in the locker room. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m looking forward to making the most of it."

Daniels attended Friday’s Pro Football Combine Camp at Nicholls State’s John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibdoaux.

So, nearly 10% of Kansas City's opening day roster will likely be filled with LSU players.

Pioli/Haley/Parcells Connection Continues for the Kansas City Chiefs

Joel Thorman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:21:05 -0000

First things first. If you haven't read Kent Babb's piece on Todd Haley, linked in the FanShots by Zodeman, go read it. It's a great article that gives us a lot of insight. Yeah, insight....in June. Babb did a great job of getting past the press conference-interior of Haley and digs a little deeper into the Bill Parcells connection.

Haley's coaching style, most easily defined as "intense", has rubbed a few the wrong way, mainly Will Franklin who was released after reportedly catching the wrong end of a mini-camp shouting match. Jon McGraw said he doesn't respond well to being motivated with fear. Haley does this to his players because he's been in their shoes before, even if it was nearly a decade ago.

Players are watching as the man runs to a fence — coach’s orders. Some of the players are confused that an assistant coach, a young Todd Haley, is in Parcells’ crosshairs this time. Haley made a mistake, and he understood the hard way that there were no excuses and no compassion. He messed up the Jets’ practice schedule, and carelessness has consequences. So Parcells made him run.

The Parcells connection runs deep for the Chiefs, not only for new head coach Todd Haley but also new GM Scott Pioli. Here are a few of the Haley/Pioli/Parcells connections we've come up with:

It was prevalent in the scouts that were hired on May 1st
We looked at the Pioli/Haley/Parcells (PHP) connections with the remaining free agents
Every single coach hired in February 17th had a PHP connection

That's just scratching the surface. Free agents brought in (Tony Curtis, Sean Ryan), trades (Matt Cassel, Mike Vrabel) and off the street pick ups (Travis Daniels) have the connection. After reading Babb's piece, I can tell that the Kansas City Chiefs are now being given the complete Bill Parcells experience.

That's why I wasn't completely surprised to learn that the Chiefs skipped their practice on Friday, instead heading to the bowling alley. Why was that not surprising? Because Bill Belichick and the Patriots canceled practice and Eric Mangini (former NE coach) and the Browns did the same thing. Three coaches, all with the same connections, canceling a practice the same weekend.

This PHP connection doesn't stray too far from it's roots. Maybe that's why it's so strong. Because once you're a PHP guy, and you "get it", you know another one of the PHP connections is not too far away and you won't be out of a job long.

Chiefs' Pollard: 'This is going to be a different defense'

Joel Thorman — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:08:31 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

7 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Quinten Lawrence, right, catches a pass while covered by cornerback Jackie Bates (22) during rookie camp at the team's football practice facility in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, May 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Over at the mothership, Jonathan Rand has a nice article on the Kansas City Chiefs secondary. Continuity (Thanks, Herm) is the key word here as the secondary has been lining up in OTAs the same as they were when they ended 2008.

The two Brandons, Flowers and Carr, are manning the corners while Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page are the safeties. Here's how the rest of the roster shakes out by round drafted:

1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	UDFA
	Colclough	Morgan	Daniels	Carr		Page	Bates
	Flowers		Washington				Leggett
	Pollard						Fryar
	McGraw						Price

Rand uses the old line, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it" when it comes to the secondary. Rarely does a unit, like the Chiefs secondary, get to grow up together in the NFL.

Bernard Pollard said he is ready to learn one defense together for consecutive years.

For three years we were always playing a cover two defense and a couple of other things and we never got really good at one thing."

Herm Edwards' cover two defense was usually described as a bend but don't break coverage. Don't get beat deep and funnel everything to the middle so players like Pollard can make them pay.

Guys are excited. Our coach is setting us up to make plays – we’re not just sitting back and waiting. This is going to be a different defense. It’s going to be fun.

If (big if) the new 3-4 alignment can create pressure at the point of attack then it will open up even more holes for an already precocious secondary. The Chiefs finished the season with 13 interceptions. Page was the team leader with four.

What's amazing about the secondary last season is that they played well considering all the pressure that was on them. Four of the five leading tacklers were from the secondary, which was expected when you have the 3rd worst rush defense in the NFL.

The way it appears now, the starting secondary will be unchanged from 2008. But if Donald Washington turns out to live up to his perceived potential, the Chiefs could be facing a good problem - finding a way to get all the talent on the field.

Chiefs Sitting on $31.6 Million to Spend

Joel Thorman — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:56:15 -0000

Uh, Scott, you know there's a salary minimum, right?

The Kansas City Chiefs have spent approximately $95.4 million on player personnel this season. Problem is, that's still $31.6 million away from the $127 million salary cap for the 2009 NFL season (H/T Bill Williamson at ESPN for the $31.6 million figure).

This is BY FAR the most amount of cap space remaining in the AFC West. The Broncos ($12.5 million), Chargers ($7.8 million) and Raiders ($8.2 million) are nowhere near the Chiefs when it comes to cap space.

Below are a few of the places Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has been spending his money.

$745,000

$14.65 Million

$620,000

$3.2 million

$1 million

$875,000

$310,000

$535,000

$1.01 million

$620,000

$1 million

$310,000

$535,000

$1.545 million

$620,000

$385,000

$745,000

S Jarrad Page**

*Restricted free agent signed tender

**Restricted free agent has not signed tender

New GM Scott Pioli spent $14.65 million on his new quarterback, Matt Cassel, but other than that has scraped the bottom of the barrel as far as paying free agents. He inherited Mike Vrabel's contract from the Patriots (coincidentally one he helped negotiate) and spent a million plus on Zach Thomas and the RFAs.

The cap value of the Chiefs' 2008 rookies was about $11.6 million. But that was with 12 draft picks. This year, with only eight picks (and just one first rounder), the Chiefs will likely spend between $6-8 million (we'll be getting more in depth on what the Chiefs can expect to pay their rookies tomorrow).

So, let's say after the rookie deals are done the Chiefs are looking at $24 million to spend. If you're Scott Pioli, what are you spending $24 million on?